Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Rumors: Love, Derrick Williams, Roy

December 16th, 2012 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ricky Rubio wasn't in the starting lineup and played only 18 minutes last night, but that he played at all is joyous news for the Wolves. The team welcomed him back for his first action since March, when he tore two ligaments in his left knee. Rubio shot just 1-for-4 from the field, but dished out nine assists against only two turnovers, and helped spark a comeback win after Minnesota endured an early deficit against the Mavs. His return isn't the only story of note from the Twin Cities, and we've got the latest here.

Kevin Love's name has surfaced in trade rumors following his comments critical of the Wolves organization this week, but Minnesota has no intention of trading its All-Star power forward, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
While agreeing with Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer that the Cavs likely aren't interested in Derrick Williams, Bob Finnan of The News-Herald believes the disappointing second-year forward would "have to be the center of any proposal" the Wolves might offer Cleveland in exchange for Anderson Varejao.
The idea of retirement might have crossed Brandon Roy's mind following his latest knee surgery, but Roy should be back in the Wolves lineup in a week and a half, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Varejao, Derrick Williams, Belinelli

December 15th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

All five Central Division squads are in action tonight, and three of them face stiff tests. The Bulls take on the Nets, the Bucks play host to the red-hot Clippers, and the Cavs visit the Knicks, who are unbeaten at Madison Square Garden. There's plenty of action off the court as well, and here's the latest on Central squads.

While she acknowledges she's in the minority, Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer doesn't think the Cavs will trade Anderson Varejao, arguing that he's the team's best player and that it might take several years to develop a young replacement who could equal his production.
In the same Q&A with readers, Schmitt Boyer says she also doesn't think the Cavs will go after Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams.
Bulls offseason signee Marco Belinelli said he had perhaps the toughest training camp of his life as he struggled to adjust to a new system and a new team, but now he's averaging 19.0 points per game over his last five contests after stepping into the starting lineup for the injured Richard Hamilton. HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham has more.
In that piece, Brigham also looks at several who could be in line for their first All-Star appearance this season, and Central Division players are well represented. Varejao and Kyrie Irving of the Cavs, Joakim Noah of the Bulls and Brandon Jennings of the Bucks are on the list.
Pistons GM Joe Dumars has been high on Andre Drummond ever since a pre-draft meeting in which Drummond gave Dumars direct answers to questions about his energy and willingness to play hard, two areas of doubt that had caused other GMs to pass on him. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has the details.

Western Notes: Lakers, Freeland, Blazers, Love

December 15th, 2012 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Notes out of the Western Conference..

Lakers fans are clearly frustrated with how the season has gone so far, but they should be grateful that they have Dwight Howard in the lineup rather than the sidelined Andrew Bynum, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Lakers will take on the Bynum-less Sixers on Sunday evening.
Joel Freeland‘s camp told HoopsHype (via Twitter) that they are unhappy with his assignment to the D-League by the Blazers. Agent Rafa Calvo pointed out that Freeland has been one of the top big men in EuroLeague for three years and doesn’t need the extra time to adjust to the NBA. Despite that, Calvo says he and his client are trying to stay positive about the situation.
Paul Ladewski of Sheridan Hoops wonders if the T’Wolves have a strong trading partner in the Bulls if they wind up moving Kevin Love. The Timberwolves might have an interest in power forward Nikola Mirotic who is widely considered to be the best player in Europe right now.

Spears On Trade Candidates

December 14th, 2012 at 7:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

In addition to the well-documented cases of Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and Anderson Varejao, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports shares a litany of tidbits from high-ranking executives on trade candidates from around the league. Here's the chatter going on about each player:

Andrea Bargnani, Raptors — "Toronto definitely wants to move Bargnani," a GM told Spears.
MarShon Brooks, Nets — The Nets put him on the trading block over the summer, but his rookie-scale contract is making it hard for the team to part with him, since there are few more valuable players on the market with a matching salary.
Andrew Bynum, Sixers — The Sixers are trying to find another starting center, according to Spears, who hears from a GM who figures the team is starting to get panicked about Bynum health. "They could get a really interesting deal for (Bynum)," the GM said. "I could see them doing that."
Tyreke Evans, Kings — Despite a meeting with GM Geoff Petrie that went well, according to a source close to Evans, the Kings will trade him if they don't think they can afford to re-sign him as a restricted free agent this summer.
Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers — Spears speculates that the team could trade him for help at the wing.
Gerald Henderson, Bobcats — Like Evans, Henderson will likely be dealt if the team decides against re-signing the restricted free agent over the summer.
Kevin Love, Timberwolves — "I don't think that's a match that is permanent in Minnesota," an assistant GM tells Spears. "I'm not saying they're shopping, but if they can get the right deal they would look at it. And I don't think he wants to be there."
Paul Millsap, Jazz — The Jazz are more likely to trade Millsap than Al Jefferson because Millsap, who makes almost half as much money, will "go to the highest bidder" in free agency next summer, according to a GM.
Timofey Mozgov, Nuggets — With Mozgov a restricted free agent next summer, the Nuggets are likely to go with Kosta Koufos and JaVale McGee in the middle instead, and with other Nuggets set to hit the market, a rival GM tells Spears that Denver won't pay the luxury tax.
Derrick Williams, Timberwolves — Both player and team would be pleased with a trade, and an executive for another team warns that Williams' value is shrinking as he continues to sit on Minnesota's bench.

Ingram On Love, Derrick Williams, Mayo

December 14th, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busy day of news off the court for the Timberwolves, as we passed along a number of Wolves rumors earlier today, and this afternoon HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram checks in with a few more.

Ingram praises the offseason moves of Wolves GM David Kahn, and believes that if Kevin Love continues to criticize the team, Minnesota might be better off trading him, perhaps to the Lakers in a Pau Gasol swap.
The Wolves would like to send Derrick Williams out as part of a package, and Ingram thinks Williams might fit in well with the Cavs. Earlier today, we heard that Minnesota reportedly has strong interest in Anderson Varejao.
Ingram lists Nicolas Batum and O.J. Mayo as the two offseason targets the Wolves missed out on, adding that Mayo took less money because "he had his heart set on Dallas." Going into the summer, the Wolves were seen as a team that might go after Mayo, but this is the first we've heard suggesting that Minnesota did indeed pursue him. It seems that Mayo couldn't have been turning down too much money, from the Wolves or anyone else, to sign with the Mavs, given his recent comment to Stein that he was disappointed with the two-year, $8.22MM deal he got.

Stein On Pau, Raptors, Varejao, Jazz, Gentry

December 14th, 2012 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Marc Stein has published his Weekend Dime, and leads off the jam-packed column with a look at a handful of players that are candidates to be dealt before February 21st's trade deadline. Here are the highlights on those guys, and from the rest of Stein's piece:

The Lakers continue to recognize that they're unlikely to get fair value for Pau Gasol, given his health, salary, and performance, and would prefer to avoid another major shakeup anyway. So for now, they're still not seriously considering a Pau trade.
Multiple front-office sources view the Raptors as the team most motivated to make a move. The team would like to make Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon in tandem, but Bargnani's elbow injury may force Toronto to deal Calderon on his own. The Lakers and Mavericks have interest, though neither team is an obvious match for Calderon's $10.5MM+ salary.
NBA teams believe Anderson Varejao is "highly available," but are skeptical he'll be dealt, since the Cavaliers' high asking price is only increasing. Cleveland is seeking multiple young assets for Varejao, according to Stern, who says the Thunder, a potential match, have exhibited little interest.
Teams around the league aren't sure whether the Jazz would be more inclined to trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson, but the general consensus suggests one of the two will be dealt by the deadline for a front-line point guard.
Stein lists a few other names that come up repeatedly in talks with sources as trade candidates: Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Michael Beasley, Courtney Lee, and D.J. Augustin.
Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley may already be interested in buying another team, with the Bucks as a potential target, according to Stein.
Robert Sarver's assurances that Alvin Gentry will keep his job as Suns head coach shouldn't be viewed as a "dreaded" vote of confidence. Sources tell Stein that Sarver likes Gentry "too much personally to make an in-season change."

Wolves Rumors: Rubio, Varejao, Love, Roy

December 14th, 2012 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

It's Friday, which means Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has checked in with his weekly edition of Scoops. Here are Wolfson's Timberwolves updates from his latest piece:

The Timberwolves are likely to make a deal before the February trade deadline, but aren't making any calls yet while they wait to see how the lineup looks when Ricky Rubio returns.
David Kahn has been answering incoming calls, however. Wolfson reports that the Raptors and Cavaliers have both been in touch with the Wolves, to gauge interest in Andrea Bargnani and Anderson Varejao, respectively. Minnesota likes Varejao a lot, according to Wolfson, though in my opinion it would take a massive package for the Cavs to move him this season.
One league source doesn't believe money is a source of frustration for Kevin Love, since the All-Star forward is still in position to earn as much or more over the long-term as he would have if he'd received a five-year extension. The source points to a Kahn quote from 2009 ("On a championship-contending team… Kevin might be the fourth-best player") as something that still irks Love.
Obrad Fimic, the agent for Alexey Shved, on the Timberwolves recruitment of his client: "Honestly, the whole deal was done thanks to David, who convinced us that Shved is a perfect fit for coach Rick Adelman's system. Alexey and I liked what we heard and here we are."
Although Brandon Roy denied that retirement wasn't something he thought about following his latest knee procedure, a league source insists to Wolfson that Roy at least considered it.
There should be closure on the Martell Webster compensation case soon, with the Wolves expecting to receive cash and/or a second-round pick from the Trail Blazers.

Roy Says He’s Not Considering Retirement

December 13th, 2012 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Roy spoke to reporters today after the Timberwolves' shootaround for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee last month. When asked if he was considering retiring after his latest setback, Roy said the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

"A few people asked me that," Roy said, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. "And I don’t pay attention much to the media. I don’t really read that stuff. But I don’t know where that could have come from. But no, I never thought about walking away. It was, for me, just do I want to go through another procedure or do I want to play through it. that was more my question than walking away."

Roy himself acknowledged following the surgery that "if it ends in three weeks, it ends." However, he seemed to be referring to a scenario in which his knees didn't recover from the procedure. The former Trail Blazer confessed again today that further issues would be cause for concern, but said his knee feels good, and that the nagging discomfort he felt earlier in the season no longer seems to be an issue.

The Timberwolves signed Roy to a two-year contract this summer, though the second year figures to become non-guaranteed, given the time the 28-year-old has missed already due to knee troubles.

Injury Roundup: Rubio, Bargnani, Lowry

December 12th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest updates on the statuses of several high-profiled injured players from around the NBA:

Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com reports that Ricky Rubio will play for the Timberwolves on Saturday for the first time this season.
The Raptors announced that forward Andrea Bargnani, recently the subject of widespread trade speculation, has a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained wrist and is out indefinitely.
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is also expected out 10 days with a partial tear in his right triceps.

Kevin Love Unsure About Future With Wolves

December 12th, 2012 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

12:29pm: In a follow-up tweet, Wojnarowski says it's clear that Love feels "deeply connected" to the T-Wolves' fanbase, loves Minnesota as a sports town, and badly wants to win a championship there. As Wojnarowski's original column suggested, however, it seems that Love isn't sure whether Wolves management is as committed to him long-term.

WEDNESDAY, 11:58am: Love spoke to the media today to clarify some of the comments he made to Wojnarowski. Here's a recap of what he said, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (all links go to Twitter):

While he meant everything he said, Love added that he also said many positive things about the Timberwolves that weren't included in the piece.
Love has spoken to Rick Adelman and David Kahn about his comments, and plans to speak to Glen Taylor as well.
Love didn't intend to alienate the team or T-Wolves fans with his comments.
Love would "love to" end his career with the Timberwolves.

TUESDAY, 2:44pm: Adrian Wojnarowski's latest piece at Yahoo! Sports features plenty of discussion with Kevin Love about his current contract, his future with the Timberwolves, and the team's roster decisions. The story includes plenty of eyebrow-raising quotes from Love, so let's dive right in and check out a few of the highlights from the All-Star forward….

On the T-Wolves' perception of him, and the team's decision not to offer him a five-year contract extension:

"I don't know who labels people stars, but even [Timberwolves owner] Glen Taylor said: I don't think Kevin Love is a star, because he hasn't led us to the playoffs. I mean, it's not like I had much support out there…. That's a tough pill to swallow."

On questions about whether his broken hand happened in the way he described:

"Even people in my own organization were asking if it was a legitimate injury, people calling my honesty and integrity into question. And that's what really hurt me."

On the T-Wolves' frequent roster changes:

"You walk into the locker room every year, and it's completely turned over. There's new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a… plan?"

On his future:

"I have a very, very good memory, and I always remember the people who have done right by me, and the people who have done wrong by me. It will be embedded in my brain, and something I won't forget about. There's no telling what will happen. I would love to compete for a championship in Minnesota, but….

"I haven't been in the playoffs yet. I'm looking at my contract in the eye of two years from now, and if I haven't been to the playoffs – or it's been one playoff berth – well, it's going to be tough to say, 'Oh well, I'm going to stay here and continue to rebuild.'"

On Minnesota's decision to trade Al Jefferson after Love's second season:

"We should've at least tried [making it work with Jefferson], especially with way things were going. I was beginning to figure things out in my second season. Everybody knew what Al was capable of, and is still capable of. It was definitely worth the risk of seeing what would happen. If it didn't work, then go another way. But we never tried it."

On how feeling slighted by members of the Wolves' organization has fueled him:

"That's the crazy thing about this: There's this whole [expletive]-up, cynical thing going on in my head, where I love people telling me what I can't do, telling me this what you're going to be, this is your ceiling. Just everybody projecting for me. I'm not breaking any bounds or barriers saying this, but I think all kids – white, black, purple, whatever color – in basketball should never put a limit on themselves. I've had plenty of people tell me who I was going to be, and I feel like, for the time being, I've exceeded that."